My Life: Joseph

Thursday October 15, 2015

Major Choices: Part 2

Lets start with a story!

Last weekend I found myself back home for fall break, learning how to drive again and making my rounds around town. I had dedicated a day to go back and visit my old middle school as well as my alma mater high school. When talking to some of my now senior friends, the same questions came up every time: what's college like? Do you miss it here? Why are you here, you graduated? That last one stung a little bit. Afterwards, I started asking them the same questions I was asked as a senior: you pick a school yet? Has senioritis kicked in? What's your major? That last question made the majority of people pause, and rightfully so. It's not an easy decision to make, deciding what you want to do with your life. Welcome to Part 2 of Major Choices: Picking a Major.

Marc Anthony once said, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life".

I don't know about you all, but I love watching Netflix-- House of Cards is a personal favorite. Sadly, I came to the conclusion my senior year that watching Netflix doesn't really translate well into a stable position in today's workforce. But I started noticing a trend in school. As it turns out, I did significantly better in classes that I was interested in, while I did significantly worse in courses that I disliked. In my classes that pertained to my interest I found myself putting in much more effort, and sadly mathematics was not one of them. So the question became, what do I care about? As it turns out, I really care about government. Take a second to recognize those trends in your own learning, and find what your passions are.

My dad, along with probably every other dad in history, always used to tell me to "Find my passion... and figure out how to get paid for it". Sure, money can be a deciding factor when you pick your major, but I strongly suggest against it. Do what you love. Do something that you are passionate about. Most importantly, do something that you can't see yourself getting bored with.

If the time to enroll for classes comes around and you still can't decide, have no fear! Being an undeclared major at Dayton is far from unheard of, and is better than choosing a major you don't truly stand behind. Ask your parents for help, because who knows you better? It's a major choice in your life, but be assured that once you find your passion and a major to support it, everything else will fall into place.